


Clear Day, Clear Heads

by ZoneRobotnik



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: I'm coping with S8 by using the actual ray of sunshine to fix things, James doesn't like to see his guys being grumpy at each other, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 03:38:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17035901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoneRobotnik/pseuds/ZoneRobotnik
Summary: It's Clear Day, a day for fun, but James is finding Keith is incapable of having fun when he normally would. Time for him to figure out what's going on!





	Clear Day, Clear Heads

**Author's Note:**

> Voltron (c) Netflix & Dreamworks

“You know, you _really_ should've considered the fact I beat your shooting range score _every time_ before you challenged me.” James said teasingly as he playfully bopped Ryan on the shoulder with the plush he'd won.  
  
“Yeah?” Ryan pulled out his camera and aimed it at him. “Well, smile, you goofy dork.”  
  
James laughed as he held the plush closer. “Hey, can you blame me? We beat Commander Sendak, we're in space, and there's a _carnival_! I'm giddy!”  
  
“Yeah, I can see that.” Ryan smirked. “Plus, Kogane is here. No more moping around.”  
  
“Yeah, about that, he's seemed kind of...weird.” James looked to the side, frowning a bit. Ryan turned the camera to see Keith talking to some locals.  
  
“Look, just...if you see anyone suspicious – _besides me_ – come find me, okay?” He was saying to one of the locals.  
  
James and Ryan exchanged unamused expressions before James walked over and bopped Keith on the back of the head with his plush.  
  
Keith whirled around quickly. “What the—James?”  
  
“You _know_ you're overworking yourself when _I'm_ having fun when you're _not_.” James pointed out. “Come on, this is down-time.”  
  
“There could be danger anywhere, though. I can't let my—uhm?” Keith blinked in surprise when James shoved the plush into his chest. “What are you doing?”  
  
“Hold onto this for me.” James said firmly.  
  
Keith shrugged and wrapped his arms around it. “Ooookay?”  
  
“Good. Now, you're going to hold onto it and walk around with me until you remember how to _have fun_.” James said, taking one of Keith's wrists.  
  
“Wait, what? I never agreed to this!” Keith said, growing flustered. “And there's danger everywhere, you don't understand what it's like out here!”  
  
“Keith.” James sighed and placed his hand on his shoulder. “I lived under Sendak's rule for _three years_. I _know_ what it means to have _danger everywhere_.” Keith flinched a bit, clearly feeling guilty. “We're finally free of that, we're in space, we're at a carnival, it's _time to relax_. We only have a few more hours before these people have to go underground again, and you're ruining their day by being all-business and pestering the locals!”  
  
Keith glanced to the side awkwardly. “...Sorry.”  
  
“You can apologize by stopping what you're doing and having fun. Come on, let's go find a ride.” He grabbed his wrist and pulled him along.  
  
“As long as it's not their equivalent of 'Small World'. Besides, I, uh, damaged it. And it was broken, anyway!” Keith said, growing flustered by the second.  
  
James laughed and looked over his shoulder at Ryan. “Did you get that?”  
  
“I promise not to tell the locals.” Ryan said, smirking.  
  
“Oh my god.” Keith buried his face in the plush as he was pulled along. “Are you going to film _all_ of this?”  
  
“As much as I can.” Ryan promised.  
  
“This looks fun.” James said, pulling Keith into a line. Keith raised his head up from the plush and frowned.  
  
“A ferris wheel?” He made a face. “This is so _slow_!”  
  
“Good, you have plenty of time to reflect.” James said, not letting go of his wrist.  
  
They were let on the ride and Ryan took another one to keep filming them. James finally let go of Keith's wrist once the ride started to move, and he leaned back a bit with a sigh. “So?” He looked at Keith. “What's going on with you?”  
  
“What do you mean?” Keith asked, leaning his chin on the plush.  
  
“Ever since you got out of your coma, you've been distant from everyone.” James pointed out. “Even Shirogane.”  
  
“ _Captain_ Shirogane. Or _Admiral_.” Keith corrected him, glancing away.  
  
“And my point is proven.” James raised an eyebrow and leaned forward. “What happened between you two?”  
  
“...He didn't visit me in the hospital.” Keith said quietly. “And he's been... _cold_ , ever since he became an Admiral.”  
  
“Didn't vis—are you sure?” James frowned.  
  
Keith nodded. “Yeah. I asked.”  
  
James sighed and ran his fingers through his fringe. “Well...sounds like you two need to work through that.”  
  
Keith sighed. “He won't even _look_ at me, though. I mean, he did briefly, earlier...he told me to relax. But, he hasn't used my name once.” Tears started to form in his eyes and he held the lush closer, burying his face in it so his voice was muffled. “A-And when Zethrid had me, he—he didn't do _anything_ , he just _stood_ there, and—” He gasped sharply when James moved closer and wrapped his arms around him.  
  
“Yeah, he's been weird. I noticed it before and tried to talk him about it, but he said I was 'out of line' and he had work to do and so I left.” James rolled his eyes and gently rubbed his back. “It's okay. Let's just try to have fun today, okay?”  
  
Keith nodded, sniffling a bit. “Sorry, I cried on your plush...”  
  
“Pft, I don't care if you cry on my plush.” James laughed a bit.  
  
Keith sighed and wiped at his eyes. “No one else seems to have noticed anything weird about us. But...you did. Thanks.”  
  
“I've known you longer than anyone here. It'd be _weird_ if I didn't notice.” James gently stroked Keith's hair soothingly.  
  
“I just...he said before he'd never give up on me...but, he didn't do _anything_ when Zethrid had me.” Keith leaned into his embrace. “What did I do wrong? Was he... _disappointed_ that I took so long to wake up? Did I _inconvenience_ him?”  
  
James sighed and gently rocked him. “I'm sure he's just distracted.”  
  
“I wish I could talk to him about it, but he's always side-stepping me...”  
  
James looked over the edge and saw Shiro walking around. He narrowed his eyes a bit, then looked back at Keith. “Hey, it's okay. We're here to have fun, not focus on dumb drama. Come on, I've had nothing but drama for three years straight.”  
  
Keith laughed a bit. “Sorry to pile it on you, then.”  
  
“Eh, I asked for it. I could've _ignored_ you being a pest.” He lightly swatted the back of his head.  
  
Keith sighed and closed his eyes. “I just...I feel so upset. It's hard to focus on having fun, it's hard to _relax_ , when I feel like I've done something wrong.” He leaned forward, burying his face in the plush again.  
  
James frowned and leaned forward as he moved Keith's hair to the side, then pressed his lips to the back of Keith's neck. Keith let out a contented sigh and let James pull him back up to lean on his chest. “Better?”  
  
“Mm.” He closed his eyes. “A bit.”  
  
“Good.” James nodded.  
  
They reached the bottom and got out, Ryan getting out of his a bit later. “I missed what happened when you both leaned forward, what happened?” He asked as he walked over to them.  
  
“James just calmed me down when I was freaking out.” Keith laughed a bit.  
  
“Alright, what do we do now?” James asked Keith.  
  
“I don't know, I really feel like I should get back to pat--”  
  
“Nope!” James grabbed his wrist and pulled him along, Ryan following.  
  
They stopped at a high striker and James smirked at Keith. “I bet you can't hit the bell.”  
  
“Excuse me?” Keith shoved the plush in James' hands. “When I do, you're wearing _that_ hat for the rest of the day.” He pointed to one of the prizes, a miner hat.  
  
“And if you can't, you have to do whatever I want for a week.” James said teasingly.  
  
“That's a bit unfair.” Keith frowned.  
  
“Oh, you think you _can't_ do it?” James challenged.  
  
“You're on.” Keith paid to play and walked over to pick up the hammer. He swung it high and slammed it down, and the bell's ring echoed as the game lit up. “Yes!”  
  
“Pick your prize.” The bored ride attendant said.  
  
Keith picked out the miner hat and walked over to put it on James' head. “I win!”  
  
“It looks good on you.” Ryan supplied helpfully.  
  
James adjusted the hat so it was straight and then handed back the plush to Keith. “Alright, you pick the next ride.”  
  
“Alright, let's go with something _fast_.” Keith grinned.  
  
James nodded and followed him along.  
  
They got in line and Keith noticed it was four to a car. “Hey, uh, there's three of us. Unless we want to ride with a stranger—oh! Hunk!” He waved to him as he was passing by.  
  
“What's up?” Hunk walked over to them.  
  
“Can you ride with us?” Keith asked.  
  
“Ah, no. I don't do fast rides, remember? They make me sick.” Hunk smiled apologetically.  
  
“Hm...then, who--”  
  
“Oh!” Hunk walked off and came back with Shiro following behind him.  
  
“What is it? Hunk said there was something important?” Shiro asked.  
  
“Next riders.” The ride attendant said.  
  
“They need a fourth rider, don't want to ride with a stranger.” Hunk said cheerfully. “Have fun!”  
  
Shiro nodded. “Well, alright.”  
  
Keith looked at the plush in his arms and James' hat. “Uhm...is there a place to--”  
  
“I'll take them.” Hunk offered.  
  
James took off his hat and handed it over as Keith handed over the plush.  
  
Ryan handed over his camera. “You can record stuff, if you want.”  
  
Hunk grinned, taking it. “Have fun, you four.”  
  
Ryan got in and James got in next to him. Keith realized this would leave him next to Shiro and wondered how much of this was planned by the three of them.  
  
Shiro seemed to realize this and looked reluctant, but Hunk pushed him into the seat and then the ride attendant put down the bars. “Maybe this _isn't_ a good idea.” He said, glancing at Keith.  
  
“This is the _best_ idea.” James told him as they started to set off. “You two have been needing some time together.”  
  
“No, I don't think we do. I think we're fine.” Shiro shook his head.  
  
James sighed heavily. “Okay, no, you're _not_ fine.”  
  
“I--”  
  
“Nope, shut up, I'm talking.” James snapped. “You two used to be _so close_ , but lately you've been standing five feet apart and not even _looking_ at each other. What is going _on_ with you two? And you just _watched_ some psycho alien _strangle_ Keith? Ever since he woke up from his coma, you've been distant and cold to him, and I'm not the only one who's noticed it!”  
  
Shiro started to reply, but then they were going too fast for him to do anything but scream along with everyone else as it did loops and turns that would make Hunk throw up anything he'd eaten that day. Next to him, Keith was laughing and screaming in excitement. Then they were going slow again as they started to go uphill again.  
  
“You two need to _talk it out_!” James snapped, picking right back up where he left off. “And if I have to trap you on some _carnival ride_ for that to happen, I damn well will do it! This is bad for morale, bad for your friendship, and it's _ticking me off_. I didn't spend _three years_ fighting the Galra just to watch you two emotionally tear each other apart with this _bullshit_!”  
  
“Oh man, he's swearing. You _really_ pissed him off.” Ryan laughed.  
  
“Griffin, this--”  
  
“Don't you start that shit up again!” James cut him off sharply. “We're off-duty, damn it! Use my _fucking name_ like you used to!”  
  
“James--” Shiro started, but then they were going downhill again and all he could do was scream again as the ride went through more loops and turns. When they finally reached a slow point again, James spoke again.  
  
“I'm serious; talk it out! Right now! I will _keep_ paying for us to ride this until you get your issues sorted out!” James said firmly.  
  
Keith looked at Shiro. “You didn't do anything!”  
  
“What?” Shiro frowned.  
  
“You just watched Zethrid strangle me! _Axca and Veronica_ had to save me! _You_ should've been the one!” Keith continued  
  
“ _I_ would've done it, but I didn't have a good angle. Would've _killed_ Keith if I tried.” James said bitterly.  
  
“I froze up!” Shiro explained. “I didn't know what to do!”  
  
“How about fucking _shooting_ her?!” Keith snapped.  
  
“I--”  
  
“How many fucking times did I save you, Shiro? How many times? I saved you from the Garrison, I saved you from Sendak _many_ times, I saved you from _Zarkon_ , I saved you from _fucking death_ , and you couldn't even fire at _one bitch_ that had me by the _throat_?!”  
  
“Keith--”  
  
“And _now_ you use my fucking name! What did I do _wrong_?! Why have you been so cold, so distant? Why didn't you visit me in the hospital? Did I disappoint you?! Did I let you down, somehow? Did I _fail_ to do my _duty_ , because keeping the world from being blown up _put me in a fucking coma_? Are your new stripes too _fancy_ to be seen with the likes of me?!”  
  
Shiro couldn't even answer, because they'd hit another downhill and all they could do was scream. When they finally reached a slow part again, he finally got an answer out.  
  
“That's just _it_ , Keith! You've risked your life too many times, and _I_ started it by bringing you to the Galaxy Garrison in the _first_ place! I encouraged you, grew close to you, and you gave me _so much more_ than I deserved! You shouldn't have gone through all that! You were just a kid, and you're still so young but you've been hurt more than anyone can say, and I felt so damn _guilty_! I thought, if I distanced myself from you, you'd stop throwing yourself into danger to save me! I thought, if I was cold to you, you'd move on and, I dunno, spend your time with someone else, someone that _deserves_ you!”  
  
“What are you _talking_ about?!” Keith cried. “You were one of the only people that treated me kindly back then, and James was on _thin fucking ice_ sometimes!”  
  
“That's fair.” James shrugged. Ryan chuckled.  
  
“I didn't save your life because you _deserved_ to be saved, I _saved_ you because I fucking _care_ about you and also _who_ _ **wouldn't**_ _save the life of their comrade_? I fucking saved _Zethrid's_ life after she _tried to kill me_! So, even if you _weren't_ close to me, I'd _still_ jump out and attack _whoever the fuck is trying to kill you_!” Keith huffed.  
  
Shiro chuckled a bit. “So, it was all _pointless_ , then? You'd still—seriously? I...oh, Keith...” He brought his hand to his face. “Keith, I'm so sorry. I've been giving you such pain for _no reason_...and, I swear, I just froze up about the Zethrid thing. And I felt so _guilty_ for not recognizing your voice sounded weird, and there was just... _so much_ , it all built up, and I _broke_. And it was the same with the hospital, I couldn't _bear_ to see you lying there, unable to wake up, so I buried myself in work to keep myself from having a free moment to visit you and then you were awake and I wanted so _badly_ to hold you, but I realized I had to distance myself from you to keep you safe!”  
  
“I'm a fucking Paladin of Voltron!” Keith groaned. “I'm _never_ going to be safe! And don't even _try_ to say that was _your_ doing, because _Lance_ was the one that woke up the Lion and _I_ was the one that found the cave in the _first place_!”  
  
Shiro laughed bitterly, almost a half-sob, as the ride finally came to a stop. “I'm sorry, Keith...I'm sorry.”  
  
“And _I'm_ sorry that everyone riding with us had to endure your drama. Let's get out of here.” James said as the bar lifted.  
  
“Had fun?” Hunk asked, handing back their stuff.  
  
“Yeah.” James nodded. “I think it cleared our heads.”  
  
Shiro placed his hand on Keith's shoulder. “You guys want to watch me arm wrestle?”  
  
Keith grinned. “Sure! Let's go get the others!”  
  
“Oh, Nadia will _not_ want to miss _this_.” James grinned.  
  
Twenty minutes later, everyone was in the tent cheering Shiro on as he beat opponent after opponent. Keith grinned at James and nudged him in the side. James nudged him back with a smirk before they focused on Shiro's match again.  
  
After Shiro beat the Champion, who Lance recognized with an excited “Whooooooa, it's that guy! With the Yupper! I know that guy!”, they all held him up with the trophy while his opponent strapped the golden Champion band around Shiro's arm.  
  
Then they were heading out, and Keith pushed James' plush back into his arms. “Thanks.” He grinned.  
  
“Come on, you two.” Shiro placed his hands on their shoulders and handed Keith his trophy. “We have a _lot_ to catch up on, I think.”  
  
James chuckled. “See you, Ryan.”  
  
“We'll see you guys later.” Keith said, waving to the other Paladins and MFEs as Shiro led them away through the carnival crowd.  
  
Ryan shifted his camera in his hands, zooming it in on the three of them talking and laughing. He couldn't help the smile from forming on his lips as he watched the weight lift from all their shoulders.  
  
End

 

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes, it takes the class president to figure out the drama.


End file.
